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Cows

    Cows Editor's Picks

    • About Jersey Cows

      Jersey cows are one of the most recognizable breeds of cows, seen as a sea of honey brown roaming vast green pastures around the world. Valued for their small size, easy-going temperament and their milk--high in butterfat--Jersey cows are the product of years of careful breeding and cultivation. more »

    • How to Breed Cows

      Cows remain pregnant for about 9 months. Beef breeders prefer their cows to have calves in the spring and early summer. These calves can safely live in the pasture in mild weather. Dairy farmers must breed cows year-'round to maintain milk production. These calves are usually bottle fed and kept in calf hutches. You must either own... more »

    • Facts About Cows for Kids

      Cows provide most of the milk people drink worldwide. It used to take 10 cows to produce the same amount of milk a single cow produces today. Cows need proper care to produce all that milk. more »

    • Facts About Angus Cows

      Angus cattle are known for efficient growth, strong maternal instincts and certified beef, characteristics that have helped make the breed the most popular in America. More cattle are recorded yearly by the American Angus Association than any other breed association worldwide. more »

    • How Does Goats Milk Compare to Cows Milk?

      Milk is a popular drink the world over. Almost 75 percent of the milk the world drinks, however, is goat's milk, unlike in the United States, where cow's milk is the popular choice. Does the world know something America doesn't? In a word, yes. Overall, goat milk is much healthier for humans to drink than cow's milk. Goats are also... more »

    Cows Quick Guides

    • Animal Feed Basics

      Animals must eat to live and some of them live just to eat. Dogs, cats, horses, cows,...

    • Veterinary Jobs

      Without trained and skilled veterinarians to look after our furry friends, who knows what...

    Cows Articles

    • About Cows

      Cows are are raised as livestock on cattle farms for their beef, on dairy farms for their milk and are harvested for their hides to make leather.... more »

    • How to Care for Cows

      If you take good care of your cows, they will produce dairy products, meat and calves for years. more »

    • How to Feed Cows

      A good feeding program for your cows will produce more milk, better calves and better meat for your table. more »

    • How to Keep Cows Disease Free

      From Mad Cow Disease to Hoof and Mouth Disease, cows seem like they're particularly prone to becoming ill. In fact, they're not inherently more... more »

    • How to Draft Cows and Calves in the Paddock

      Working cows and calves can be a challenging task. But there are some things you can do to make the job less stressful for both you and the... more »

    Wikipedia

    Cattle

    Cattle (colloquially cows) are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius. Cattle are raised as livestock for meat (beef and veal), as dairy animals for milk and other dairy products, and as draft animals (pulling carts, plows and the like). Other products include leather and dung for manure or fuel. In some countries, such as India, cattle are sacred. It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion cattle in the world today."Breeds of Cattle at CATTLE TODAY"> In 2009, cattle became the first livestock animal to have its genome mapped."Cattle genome">

    Species of cattle
    Cattle were originally identified by Carolus Linnaeus as three separate species. These were Bos taurus, the European or "taurine" cattle (including similar types from Africa and Asia); Bos indicus, the zebu; and the extinct Bos primigenius, the aurochs. The aurochs is ancestral to both zebu and taurine cattle. Recently these three have increasingly been grouped as one species, with Bos primigenius taurus, Bos primigenius indicus and Bos primigenius primigenius as the subspecies.

    Complicating the matter is the ability of cattle to interbreed with other closely related species. Hybrid individuals and even breeds exist, not only between taurine cattle and zebu but also between one or both of these and some other members of the genus Bos: yak (called a dzo or "yattle", Washington Post, August 11, 2007), banteng and gaur. Hybrids can also occur between taurine cattle and either species of bison, which some authors consider to be in the genus Bos as well.Groves, C. P., 1981. Systematic relationships in the Bovini (Artiodactyla, Bovidae). Zeitschrift für Zoologische Systematik und Evolutionsforschung, 4:264-278., quoted in Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World. A Taxo read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle

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